Technology for Learning

Research and Synthesis: Technology for Learning

Chenoa Dirks
80761117
University of British Columbia
Met: ETEC 500 65D

Technology for Learning

21st Century learning skills are quickly becoming the new curriculum in todays schools.
These skills include the ability to handle information, solve problems, communicate, and
collaborate (Kozma, 2003, p. 2), and are considered necessary for success in todays global
society. Students are entering their primary school years with knowledge and skills for the latest
technologies already under their belts, while their teachers are scrambling to catch up and
familiarize themselves with technology that wasnt even thought of during their own school
years. How then do teachers use technology to meet the needs of students in order to effectively
prepare them for future success as citizens of our global community? The following review and
synthesis of research will explore desirable classroom practices which motivate students to
actively participate in using technology for learning.

Review of the Research

The article, The Effects of Incorporating a Word Processor Into a Year Three Writing
Program, by Natalie Beck and Tony Fetherston, discusses the importance of learning to write for
communication and expression, and how word processors in the school classroom can motivate
eight year olds to write more creatively and effectively. The authors suggest that children of this
age are usually unmotivated writers due to the labour intensive process of writing, editing,
correcting, and rewriting when using a pencil and paper. They argue that students will be more
motivated to write using a word processor because the rewriting process is so much less tedious.
Beck and Fetherston implemented a qualitative study using word processors equipped
with the software Story Book Weaver Deluxe, in a 3rd year class in Australia using seven
students, five girls and two boys, who were selected based on a convenience sampling. The
study took place over a six week period beginning and ending with both oral and written
interviews of both the students and the classroom teacher. During the six weeks Beck and
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Fetherston conducted their investigation through observations of the students, anecdotal notes,
and tape recorded conversations. The students writing samples were assessed using standardized
marking criteria in the form of a rubric. The main focus of the investigation focused on the
attitudes of the students before, during, and after the writing process took place. The word
processor writing activities supplied some students with sentence starters and included the option
of using pictures and sound to enhance their writing.
The authors concluded that using a word processor in the classroom for writing activities
resulted in better constructed stories, increased motivation to write stories, and enhanced risk
taking behaviour during writing. Their conclusion took into account that all of the students had
previous experience using a keyboard and the software, and that the novelty of adding media to
their stories would also affect their overall motivation for writing. With the word processor,
students produced improved attitude, attention, and motivation towards writing and felt better
about the finished product, as it looked neater and more professional with the added media.
The article, Middle School Students; Technology Practices and Preferences: ReExamining Gender Differences, by Leslie Miller, Heidi Schweingruber and Christine
Brandenburg, discusses the use of computers in middle-school aged boys and girls. The authors
suggest that in the past these differences caused a gender gap which has narrowed significantly
since the advent of the internet, the World Wide Web, and the creation of computer and video
games that appealed to both girls and boys. The authors highlight several views of research in
boy-girl computer use in order to explore these differences, and if they are in fact changing
middle-schoolers perception of computers and their uses.

Technology for Learning

Miller, et al, implemented a quantitative research study as a survey presented to 568
middle school students between October 1998 and April 1999. Student ages ranged from eleven
to fifteen years and were sampled from eight different private and public schools in the Houston
area. Several undefined socio-economic backgrounds were represented in the student samples.
The survey questionnaire consisted of 68 closed and open questions focusing on: self-perception
of computer skills, exposure to technology, and preferences of media style/content. The survey
was to be completed in about thirty minutes during class time.
The results of the survey indicated that both boys and girls were clearly confident in their
knowledge and understanding of how to use a computer, and in many cases there was no
significant difference between the responses of girls to boys when the question referred to how
the computer was used, or if they had used one before. The biggest boy-girl differences occurred
when the questions referred to the content chosen to view or play on the computer for both web
searching and for choice of games to play. For both girls and boys, playing games was the most
popular use for computers at home and at school, though their game choices were different.
In his article, Technology and Classroom Practices: An International Study,
Robert Kozma examines the findings from 174 case studies from 28 countries, in an effort to
identify specific patterns of innovative classroom practices which are supported by technology
(Kozma, 2003). The most frequently used technology represented in the case studies included
productivity tools, web resources, email, multi-media software, and web design tools. The case
studies were compiled by panels in each of the countries, and classroom samples were chosen on
the based on an agreed upon international set of criteria with local concerns identified. Kozma
used a quantitative procedure to form his analysis, which resulted in identifying seven
meaningful patterns of classroom practice including: student collaborative research, information
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management, teacher collaboration, outside communication, product creation, and tutorial. The
research found that most of the teachers considered in the study are beginning to integrate ICT
into both school curriculum, and their own classroom teaching.

Synthesis
All three of these articles look into how students use technology, and how that
technology inspires them to use it. Beck and Fetherston focus on how using technology,
specifically a word processor, can motivate students to communicate through their writing, build
their self esteem, and collaborate with their classmates, where Miller et al, focuses on the use of
technology for entertainment and game playing. In this case there is no real connection to school
learning, other than the survey was taken during class time, the results do imply that boys and
girls are motivated differently, and by different types of (computer) games. Compared to the first
two articles, Kozmas research is much more thorough and includes a much larger, and broader,
sample of students. Though specific age is not defined in his research, Kozma was able to
connect several ways that teachers implement technology into their lessons, and how students
use technology to collaborate with others, and fulfill their learning goals.

Conclusion
Beck and Fetherston and Miller et al, both had valid and interesting topics of research,
though their lack of adequate sample size ultimately left their research inconclusive. A larger
sample group and a connection to the 21st Century learning skills could perhaps validate the
research. The Kozma article was very thorough, detailed, and had clear and usable conclusions,
even though the extensive amount of data was somewhat overwhelming to read. Overall, it is a
good example of how a larger research study can be refined for a different focus.

Technology for Learning

References
Beck, N., & Fetherston, T. (2003). The Effects of Incorporating a Word Processor Into a Year
Three Writing Program. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual , 139-161.
Kozma, R. B. (2003). Technology and Classroom Practices: An International Study. Journal of
Research on Technology in Education , 36 (1), 1-14.
Miller, L. M., Schweingruber, H., & Brandenburg, C. L. (2001). Middle School Students'
Technology Practices and Preferences: Re-Examining Gender Differences. Journal of
Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia , 125-140.